by S. K. Ng
“We must do something! Those Grand Catapults are destroying our Heavy Catapults. Without our catapults, we cannot even touch them! It is time to attack! Those Grand Catapults must be neutralised,” concludes Convian Genox.
“I concur, madam. Anyway, those Grand Catapults, located at the flanks, are too far for our Heavy Catapults to take out. So we have no choice but to attack. Perhaps a cavalry assault?” agrees Verallvian Sayson.
“Yes, Verallvian Sayson. A frontal assault with swordsmen, archers and cavalry as a diversion for a flanking cavalry assault. What do you think, verallvian?” says Convian Genox.
Verallvian Sayson nods his head in agreement.
“Good idea, madam. 1st Pond and Minvian Eggle’s ad hoc pond for the diversionary assault, and 5th Pond for the main assault. A Black Fire assault, of course,” recommends Verallvian Sayson.
“Yes, verallvian! Minvian Eggle is to be the commander of the diversionary assault. Send out the order and make preparations!” commands the convian.
Verallvian Sayson bows, turns and runs off to brief the other convians of the plan.
Half an hour goes by. Convian Genox leads 5th Pond, designated ‘Assault Force’, into a secret tunnel at the southern side of the fort. 1st Pond and Minvian Eggle’s ad hoc pond, designated ‘Diversionary Force’, prepare and position their equipment just behind the eastern gates. Diversionary Force’s equipment consists of, amongst others, ‘Shield Platforms’ and Light Catapults. A ‘Shield Platform’ is a thick, gigantic slanting wooden shield mounted on a wheeled platform and a Light Catapult is a small catapult mounted on a horse-drawn cart. Numerous horse-drawn carts laden with large rocks and small jars of Black Fire are lined behind the Light Catapults.
Another half an hour goes by. The sturdy doors of Fort Eastguard’s eastern gate slowly open. Swordsmen of Diversionary Force move out, pushing Shield Platforms in front of them. The archers follow next with Shield Platforms as well. Cavalry riders follow behind their comrades. Finally, the Light Catapults and their crew make their way out together with their supply carts.
Large shadows move over the battlefield now as cumulus clouds begin to take form. This gives the Fallsians another concern. In approximately three hours, these clouds will grow to become cumulonimbus clouds and an hour after that, rain will begin to fall. This will definitely kill their Black Fire advantage. Thus, facing insurmountable odds and certain death, the brave soldiers of Diversionary Force march out to meet their foe head-on.
Thorn sits behind the outer barricade at Eastgush, listening to the gushing sound of the nearby waterfall. Several make-shift spears lay by his side. Some of the villagers are resting while the rest are busy making arrows. Steadily, a Serpentian soldier emerges from the surrounding forest. Then the rest of the raiding party emerges in three unsteady columns of swordsmen, totalling 62 hostile men. As the Serpentians cross the crop field towards the village centre, their commander looks at the barricades with a slight feeling of surprise, and then laughs out loud. The rest of the Serpentians begin to laugh as well, some giggling so badly they can hardly stand.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Three arrows fly through the air. The first arrow goes astray and lands on the ground. The second arrow pierces the throat of the Serpentian commander, bringing his obnoxious laughter to a sudden and complete stop. Blood spurts out of the wound at his throat. The third arrow pierces his left arm. As he collapses onto the ground, his second-in-command shouts out orders to charge at the barricades. The Serpentians break formation and begin to run wildly towards the villagers with their swords drawn.
One of the Serpentians, while charging towards the barricade, suddenly feels the ground disappearing from underneath him. He feels his body fall forward. Sharp pains at the soles of his feet pierce his senses. As he looks to the ground below him, the grass has given way to reveal sharp bamboo stakes planted firmly in the ground; waiting patiently to impale his fragile human torso. Then comes the searing pain as his body makes contact with the sharp bamboo stakes. Relief comes in the matter of moments as the pain fades, along with everything else. Only silence and darkness remains…
Another Serpentian receives the same fate. Then another and another. A volley of arrows falls on the Serpentians. Screams of pain by the Serpentians are only matched by the screams of anger by the villagers. Several spears fly through the air, piercing deeply into Serpentian bodies.
32 remaining Serpentians manage to arrive at the outer barricade. Thorn wastes no time in driving a spear deep into the closest Serpentian from behind the barricade. The villagers acted similarly. 20 Serpentians collapse in pain and are greeted by the cold emptiness of death. The remaining 12 raiders jump over the outer barricade and begin cutting and hacking the defenders. Fierce fighting ensues as swords clash with machetes, pitchforks and axes. Bladed weapons make contact with other bladed weapons as well as human flesh. Village archers let loose their arrows cautiously from the inner barricade, while spears are thrown from the middle one.
A Serpentian raider swings his sword horizontally at Thorn, who blocks the swing with the shield in his left hand and thrusts forward the sword in his right hand. A powerful spray of crimson liquid spurts out from where the metal has penetrated the flesh and the raider falls onto the ground stiffly. Thorn turns around in time to parry a thrust of the sword by another raider with his own sword and slams the side of his shield into the raider’s face with his left hand. The raider’s battle helm flies of his face to reveal a bruised cheek and a bleeding nose. Thorn follows up immediately with a Reverse Alligator Kick to the Serpentian head, knocking him unconscious; and finishes him off with a stab to the heart.
Thorn looks around. There are no more foes for him to face. The Serpentian raiders are all dead. 15 villagers lay lifeless on the ground and a great number of villagers begin to cry and mourn their losses. Caramel walks up to Thorn and shows him two fingers, telling him that she has killed two Serpentians. He acknowledges the gesture with a false smile and a nod. The ‘farm girl’ turns around snappily and marches back to her post.
Thorn realises that Caramel is significantly different from her brother, Salmon. Salmon joined the Provincial Guards because he thought it would be an adventure, Caramel chose to fight because she thought she had something to prove. Or maybe she just felt that she had to live up to the memory of her brother, to fight just as fiercely or to save as many people as he did. Thorn wishes that his ‘brother’ is still alive to fight beside him. But Salmon is dead! And Thorn must make sure that Caramel is safe! He owes this to Salmon. He must fulfil his pledge! But the woman is stubborn! And uncooperative!
Thorn shakes his head and forces himself to return to the matter at hand. He orders for the dead bodies to be cleared, all the traps to be reset and any damage to the barricades to be repaired. Swords, knives and armour of the dead Serpentians find new owners in the form of the surviving villagers.
At Fort Eastguard, the two ponds of Diversionary Force form side by side, 600 paces from the Serpentian columns. Each pond has a river of swordsmen at the front and a river of swordsmen at the corresponding flanks. The archers form behind the swordsmen who are at the front. The cavalries form 400 paces behind the archers, well out of the Serpentian archers’ range. Behind the cavalries are the Light Catapults. The Fallsians stand in their formation steadily. Their faces tense up with anger and aggression.
The commanders of the Serpentian archers at the front columns asses the situation and shout out their commands. The Serpentian front columns’ archers release their arrows to fly gracefully in an arc through the sky to rain down on Diversionary Force. Yet the Fallsians move not a single pace backwards as the rain of arrows come piercing from the sky. Instead, each Fallsian soldier moves slightly forward to take refuge behind their Shield Platforms. Hundreds of arrows fall on the gigantic shields, creating loud thuds, but not a single arrow penetrates to make contact with human flesh.
Minvian Eggle gives the command for the Light Catapults to attack. Large rocks and jars of
Black Fire fly through the air and smash into the Serpentian columns, causing great injury and death. The minvian then commands his swordsmen and archers to advance. Fallsian archers let loose their arrows from behind their Shield Platforms while their comrades push these wooden structures forward.
Another volley of Serpentian arrows rain down on the Fallsians. This time, some of the archers and swordsmen are hit as they failed to properly stay behind their Shield Platforms when they slowly crept forward. The return volley by the Fallsian archers repays the ill favour. Shouts of pain come from the Serpentian columns. Archers from both sides exchange several volleys with minimum damage to the Fallsians but with massive damage to the Serpentians. The ground on which the Serpentians are standing on begin to take a crimson appearance.
Battlelord Constrictor, upon seeing the severe disadvantage of maintaining this strategy, commands several Grand Catapults to target the Shield Platforms. Large boulders soar through the air and smash into Diversionary Force, destroying Shield Platforms and killing Fallsian swordsmen and archers alike. Serpentian archers intensify their shooting rate to take advantage of the situation. The Fallsian archers try to match the intensity of their Serpentian counterparts, in an effort to make them break and run for cover. But the Serpentian archers stand their ground. The Light Catapult crews begin targeting the Serpentian archers to exert pressure on them. The Serpentians respond by targeting the Light Catapults with their Grand Catapults. The Serpentian swordsmen charge towards the Fallsians. Minvian Eggle gives the same command to the Fallsian swordsmen. All hell breaks loose! There is chaos everywhere! At this point, there is no more strategy, just simple, plain, bloody violence!
Minvian Eggle shouts out another command and the Fallsian cavalries charge forth from the rear into the thick of battle. The sharp and heavy halberds of these horsemen cut and slash their way through the mass of battling Serpentian swordsmen to reach their goal, the Serpentian archers. The Fallsian archers cease their attacks, so as not to hit their advancing comrades. The Fallsian cavalries cut through the ranks of the Serpentian archers like a hot knife through butter! And then the Fallsian cavalries reverse direction and ride through the ranks of the Serpentian archers again, killing as many as they can. Then the cavalries reverse direction yet again, and this time the Serpentian archers break! They run like ants to the rear, joining their comrades at the rear column, and thus, infuriating Battlelord Constrictor. The Fallsian horsemen give chase and cut down as many as they can.
Seeing the Serpentian archers breaking ranks and fleeing, Minvian Eggle commands his archers to move forward to engage the Serpentian’s rear column archers. He also commands the Light Catapults to move forward in a north-easterly direction to begin targeting the Serpentian Grand Catapults at the northern flank. Meanwhile, Fallsian cavalries create an imaginary barrier right where the Serpentian archers used to stand, to cut off the Serpentian swordsmen who are engaged against their Fallsian counterpart.
Battlelord Constrictor recognises that his Grand Catapults are in jeopardy. As it is, about 30 of his Grand Catapults are either in flames or are burnt down. This leaves ten serviceable catapults on each flank. Without these catapults, Fort Eastguard can never be breached. In desperation, he commands all of his rear columns to attack Diversionary Force. He intends for his swordsmen to cut through the Fallsian cavalries, run past the Fallsian swordsmen and eliminate the Fallsian archers and the Light Catapult crews. Nearly 2000 Serpentian swordsmen charge forward.
The Fallsian cavalries, numbering about 70 horsemen from their original number of 110, are overwhelmed by the charge of the Serpentian swordsmen. Seeing this, Minvian Eggle has no choice but to command his Light Catapult to engage the charging Serpentians. The Fallsian archers also divert their attention to this ‘stampede’ of Serpentians. Meanwhile, in the middle of the battlefield, Fallsian swordsmen are still engaged against the swordsmen of the Serpentian front columns.
Suddenly, the ground shakes with a low-pitched, drum-like tremor. Serpentian swordsmen and archers guarding the Grand Catapults at the southern flank look at each other in confusion. The ones who are in the front portion of the columns are too engrossed in battle to notice this. Suddenly, from behind a small ridge to the south, approximately 280 Fallsian horsemen of 5th Pond charge at the Serpentian southern flank. 100 cavalry archers lead the charge, shooting off arrows after arrows as they go. Scores of Serpentians, caught unaware, fall victim to the Fallsian shafts.
As they reach the halfway point, the cavalry archers begin to slow down; so that 160 of their comrades, armed with halberds, can take the charge and cut into the Serpentian ranks. They also stay back to guard the 10 horse-drawn carts, manned by two soldiers each, that are laden with jars of Black Fire. Convian Genox leads the charge as she cuts and slashes her way towards the first of the Grand Catapults. As she and her subordinates ride past within 10 paces of it, they swing pairs of clay jars, which are tied together with rope; and release them, sending them crashing onto the catapult’s wooden structure and splashing their black viscous liquid content. A flaming arrow from one of the cavalry archers set the catapult alight.
Convian Genox leads her subordinates on to attack the next Grand Catapult. The cavalry archers harass the soldiers of the first Grand Catapult to protect their comrades’ rear. Moments later, the second Grand Catapult is set ablaze. Then the third. Then the fourth. And then the fifth. Then she leads her subordinates to double back to replenish their supply of clay jars, all the while under the cover of her cavalry archers.
At first, 5th Pond’s attack seems unstoppable as swordsmen are no match for galloping horses and archers dare not let loose their arrows for fear of hitting their comrades. A total of seven Grand Catapults have been splashed with ‘Black Fire’ liquid before Battlelord Constrictor realises that the main attack is being executed against his southern flank. He orders his archers to step away from the path of the Fallsian cavalry, thereby forming a wall of archers on either side of the path; and release their arrows whilst kneeling. Hundreds of arrows fly through the air and converge onto the charging horsemen. Convian Genox screams in agony as an arrow pierces her left arm. Yet still she continues to attack the eighth Grand Catapult. Her subordinates do so likewise with numbers nine and ten. By the time Convian Genox and her charge element turn back to replenish, all ten of the Grand Catapults at the southern flank are in flames.
Now 5th Pond gallops far around the rear of the Serpentian columns to the northern flank. Battlelord Constrictor is fuming with rage as he realises that he has been tricked. Now he is caught between a rock and a hard place, so to speak. If he does nothing, 5th Pond will eventually destroy the remaining 10 Grand Catapults. But if he pulls back his swordsmen, then Diversionary Force will attack these catapults with their Light Catapults. Either decision he makes, his Grand Catapults will still be in jeopardy. Finally, he decides to move all of his rear columns to the northern flank and pull back a third of his swordsmen from the charge at the front. He only hopes his swordsmen can reverse direction and get back in time.
As 5th Pond reaches the northern flank and begins their assault, Serpentian arrows rain on them. Fallsian cavalry archers shoot off volleys of their own, putting pressure on the Serpentian archers. One by one the Fallsian horsemen fall to the ground lifeless. Convian Genox, although injured, is still leading the charge.
Convian Genox and her subordinates cut through the ranks of Serpentian swordsmen to smash pairs of Black Fire jars on the first Grand Catapult. Then they reach the second Grand Catapult. Their numbers are now down by half. An arrow pierces Convian Genox’s left thigh as she smashes a pair of jars at the catapult. She screams out in pain, and then charges towards a Serpentian swordsman and cuts him across the chest with her halberd. Then she charges onto the third Grand Catapult. And the fourth. And the fifth.
Convian Genox circles back to replenish her supply of Black Fire jars. Her charge element is now down to a quarter of its original size. Verallvian Sayson rides up to her as she loads s
everal pairs of jars onto her saddle.
“Madam, you are wounded. We have sustained heavy casualties. I think we need to retreat!” he recommends.
“No, we cannot! We must take out those five catapults!” insisted Convian Genox as she charges off to attack again.
As Convian Genox charges towards the sixth Grand Catapult, she feels a sharp pain in her right shoulder. A cry of agony precedes the loud thumping crash of her body onto the ground. First she lays motionless, shocked by the pain of the piercing of the pair of arrows that struck her almost at the same time, and also by the fall to the ground. Her eyes are shut tight and she slowly calms her mind to accept that death is upon her door-step. A gentle smile cuts across her lips as she accepts her heroic end, knowing that she has done her very best. She has personally helped to set six Grand Catapults alight and supported the attack on another nine. She has cut down dozens of enemy swordsmen and archers and most importantly, she has served her country as well as anybody could ever expect of her. It is time to let go, to surrender and move beyond. The sun shines brightly. Her eyes sting from the ray of the sun but her heart is at peace.
A Serpentian commander orders several swordsmen to retrieve Convian Genox. A convian of the Provincial Guards would make a good source of intelligence for them, revealing the strength and capabilities of their enemies within the border fort and also of the nearby town garrisons. To the Serpentians she is far more valuable alive than dead. The Serpentian swordsmen walk out at a brisk pace.